Volume 1: The Source Blood
by JD11
Summary: There's a beauty about Nikola that Helen notices as she looks at him now- the way he looks at her like nothing else matters, devotion at its purest. "Maybe it is frightening me but it's not so scary knowing that I'll always have my best friend with me."
1. Fall, 1875

_Summary: _A look at the relationship between Nikola Tesla and Helen Magnus, from 1875 until 1902. Teslen.

/-/-

**Volume 1: The Source Blood**

/-/- **Fall, 1875**

He checks his pocket watch again; he still has almost twenty minutes before lecture. Nikola sighs and slouches farther into his chair. He's much too awake for a nine o'clock lecture; his brain is still programmed for home.

This is why he's sitting in the very last chair, one seat right of the centre, twenty minutes before lecture. The desk in front of him is empty; he doesn't plan on taking notes. He doesn't actually plan on paying attention, but he thought showing up for the first day was simply good manners.

It's during his brief rumination about what he'll eat for lunch that the door opens and he turns his head in time to watch a woman, of all things, walk inside. She's quite lovely, in a very polished, British sort of way. She wears her hair loose around her face, curled, with a hat pinned slightly skewed to the left. Her skin is charmingly pale, what little of it he can see of course. She takes a seat in the very first row, dead centre, and pulls from her bag the textbook Nikola has already read and a few leafs of paper.

Nikola glances around himself at the empty room before looking back at the woman. She's young; he thinks perhaps twenty, maybe a year or two older. He's not really sure what to make of her, which is why he leans over his desk and calls to her, "Excuse me, Miss." The young woman shifts in her seat, turning around just enough to spy Nikola in the very back of the hall. "I think you're in the wrong room."

"This is Doctor Smith's physics lecture, is it not?"

Nikola glances to the side and then back to the woman. "Yes."

"Then I think I am in exactly the right place." With that, she turns back around, dismissing him.

Annoyance tugs at the edges of his lips and, with a small huff, Nikola pulls himself out of the desk chair and skips down the few stairs separating him from the woman. "I hope that means you're his secretary or something?" She turns her head to glare up at him. He just smirks a little and gestures towards the paper and pen she's laid out. "Plan on writing the lecture notes for absent students? I hope so, that will come in handy when I start sleeping in late."

"I shall be taking notes, but not for your benefit, mister...?"

He straightens. "Tesla. Nikola Tesla."

"The university may not be allowing me to enrol properly, but I am here to learn, which is more than I can say for you." There's something about her tone that strikes him. He's never heard a woman speak with such clarity and strength, nor has he ever seen a woman hold his gaze so firmly, completely unwilling to back down from the fight. He smirks at the challenge.

"Oh I am here to learn. I just don't expect Dr. Smith or whatever his name is to say anything more interesting than that dry old book had to say."

"So you've read a book and now you know everything?"

"Memorized the book, and dozens like it."

"Good for you," she says and then, once again, she turns her head away from him, ignoring him.

The muscles in his cheeks flex and he turns his face to the side, mind spinning as he tries to think of what to say. Then, without knowing what else to do, Nikola drops himself into the seat next to her. He watches as she glances sidelong at him. Her fingers fiddle with her pen and she stares at her hands, refusing to look at him.

"You never mentioned your name."

"You never asked."

"Ok." He sighs and turns his back completely towards her. "Hello, I'm Nikola Tesla. What's your name?"

Slowly, she turns around to look at him. He smiles a little when he notices that her gaze is not quite as icy as it had been before. "Helen Magnus."

"Pleasure."

/-

He shifts his books to his other hand, freeing his right to dig through his pocket to find his key. The bolt clicks and he opens the door to his dorm room. It's traditionally small and bland, which to an extent doesn't really suit Nikola Tesla, but he supposed that it's suitable for its intended purpose- sleeping and studying.

He hears the door next to him clicking open and pauses to meet his new neighbour. He expects the average British gentleman, the typical medical student or potential lawyer or perhaps even a fellow, albeit less intelligent, scientist. Who he finds, instead, leaves him smirking.

"Helen Magnus? You do realize that this is a MEN's dormitory?"

"Yes, I had noticed that. It sort of comes with the "men's college" theme?" Nikola shrugs. "You'll just have to learn to control yourself."

A slight chuckle escapes him and he steps closer to her. "I will do my best to be the honourable man that I can occasionally be."

"Good for you. Please excuse me." She moves around him and hugs her books to her chest.

"Wait." He speaks out of desperation to keep her there, but once she turns around he has no idea what to say to her. "Um... I just finished reading that paper for Dr. Williams' lecture. Would you... would you like to come in," he gestures to his door, "and discuss it with me?"

Her eyes widen slightly and she lets her mouth hang open slightly. She looks to the far wall for a moment before looking back at Nikola. "Em, yes. Of course. But in your room?"

Nikola shrugs. "It's quiet, mildly well lit, and I promise I'll be a gentleman."


	2. Early Summer, 1876

/-/- **Early Summer, 1876**

"You've got the wrong answer."

"No, I haven't."

"Look, you did the math wrong in the beginning."

Nikola stares at the page of calculations and eventually sighs and crumples it into a ball. "Well, there goes an hour of my life I'll never get back." He tosses the crumpled paper into the corner of his dorm. "I need a break. And some wine."

Helen shuts her book and sets down her pen. "You're right. We have been working for a while. I'm not sure that I can possibly remember any more information."

"Oh, please, Helen, you know more than our professors. You'll do fine- not that you're actually being graded anyway." He looks up at her and winces. "Sorry."

"It's ok."

"So any fun plans for your summer?"

"Just working with my father."

"Fascinating."

"Actually it is. Are you going back to Austria?"

"Yes. Boring old Austria." Nikola moves his chair closer to Helen, getting as close as he can without actually touching her. "I'm going to miss you, Helen. Four months without you, without our little study sessions- it's going to be torture."

She smiles at him and rests her hand on his cheek. "You'll survive, I'm sure."

"I'll survive, but I won't enjoy my summer."

"Don't say that. It just means that you need to come visit me."

"You're inviting me to your house?"

"Yes, of course."

She's talking to him, but he's focusing on her thumb gently rubbing over his stubble-covered cheek. He's also focusing on her lips, which is the reason he knows that she's talking to him, but he's not hearing her words, he's considering their perfect shape and delicate redness and the slight curve upwards they have when she speaks. He tilts his head to the side and leans into her touch; his hand comes up to cover hers. She stops talking as he does this. He holds her gaze for a few silent moments and then he leans forward until he can almost feel her lips against his. He can feel her breathing, each breath coming a little faster.

Then he kisses her. He's gentle, timid and slightly afraid of her reaction. She doesn't pull away. His hand falls away from hers and she slides it into his hair. He likes when she does that, play with his hair that is, and he likes it even more while he's kissing her. It encourages him to kiss her with a little more pressure. But that just causes her to pull away. She smiles at him and strokes his cheek before moving away from him completely.

"I think that's enough of a break. If you don't study, you won't have much of a summer break to come visit me during."

/-

She hugs him tightly in the doorway. He groans in surprise at the sudden action but quickly drops his bag in favour of wrapping his arms around her.

"Nikola! It's so good to see you. Your trip went well, I hope?"

"Long, tedious, and boring, but ultimately completely worth it," he says as he smiles at her. She steps back and allows him room to enter; he picks his bag up off the floor and does just that. "Your letter said there was something important you wanted to show me?"

"Yes, very!" Her eyes are shining in the way they do whenever she's on to something interesting.

"Please, do tell."

From the far hallway, they hear heavy footsteps, followed by low, deep cough. "Is that him, Helen?"

"Yes, Father." Helen steps closer to Nikola. He gives her a look of shock. His posture slackens and he shoves his hands into his pocket. Helen elbows him lightly, but smiles brightly. Then she wraps her arm through his, rests her other hand on top of his bicep, and slowly leads him towards her father. "This is Nikola Tesla, my friend from school I've been telling you all about."

"Yes..." Dr. Magnus scans his eyes over the man, stopping for a long pause at where their arms interlock before finally resting on his face. "Croatian?"

"Um," Nikola glances at Helen, then back at her father, "Serb, actually."

"Hmm. What are you studying at Oxford?"

"Physics, sir."

"Good, good." Dr. Magnus turns all his attention away from Nikola and looks to Helen. "Are you sure about him?"

"Absolutely, Father. Please?"

Her father grunts a little. He looks Nikola over once again, while Nikola stares at Helen in confusion. Finally Dr. Magnus nods and retreats back into his study, where he had come from.

"What was that all about?"

"I want to show you what my father does- his work. Well, our work really." She takes a deep breath and drops his arm so that she can turn and face him. "I want you to help us. I think you're exactly perfect for this; you'll understand it all. Please, just go along with it for a few more minutes. If it's too much for you, then I'll never mention it again. You just need to promise to keep it secret. You can do that for me, right?"

"Of course, Helen. But what... what can your father possibly be doing? Secret laboratory experiments in his cellar?"

She smiles and takes his hand. "Come with me."

She leads him through a door he almost didn't notice and guides him down a set of winding stairs. It's rather dark and she hands him his own candle and tugs his hand to lead him off to the right. He's not sure what he's supposed to be looking at, or for, but then he sees it- whatever it is. It looks almost human like, but it's abnormally tall and broad. It wears scales instead of closes and hisses at Nikola. He tries not to be afraid of it and tries to straighten and look objectively through its barred door, but he's certain his face gives him away.

In the next cage, a creature unlike any Nikola had ever seen cowered in the corner. Helen whispers to him, "He's afraid of strangers."

"Oh..."

Helen tugs him along once again, taking him away from the cages of creatures and into lab where a man sat at the bench. "This is Peter, he makes a lot of the devices that my father and I use to capture and tame the abnormals- that's what we call them." The man doesn't look up from his work to acknowledge them, but Nikola steps closer all the same. There are bits of metal and wire and different materials in front of the man, littering the entire bench. That's when Nikola notices that the man has no tools and his hands are mostly stationary, and yet the pieces are being moved around, warping and assembling themselves in mid-air. Nikola twists around, mouth agape, to stare at Helen. She just smiles and gestures for him to follow her out into the hall.

"So... Abnormals?" he says.

"Yes. Some you've even heard stories of- werewolves, vampires, mermaids. There are thousands of different species. Potentially millions in total."

"And what- what do you do with them?"

"Some are too dangerous to be out on their own. We keep them here to protect both them and everyone else. Some are just afraid, they need protection or training to control themselves. And we study them, try to learn what makes them unique."

She's smiling at him, that big excited smile that he can never look away from, the one that makes him smile in return. So he does. "I was thinking," she says slowly, she even bites her lip a little, something he's never seen her do before. "You should stay here for the rest of the summer. My father's charged me with three of the abnormals to study and, if possible, help. You could work with me with them."

"You're serious?"

"Unless you don't want to?"

"Helen, this... this is amazing! There's no way you could tear me away from here."

"Good."


	3. Fall, 1876

/-/-** Fall, 1876**

"Helen, Nikola, come in here for a moment, please."

Helen glances over her shoulder at Nikola before doubling back to her father's study. She steps inside, Nikola standing directly behind her. Near her father's desk is a shorter young man of slight build. His complexion is pale and his hair a soft shade of brown. He's clean shaven and no more than eighteen.

"Helen, you remember Alistair Griffin, I'm certain?" She nods briefly, her eyes still flickering between the young man and her father. "This is his son, Nigel."

"It's a pleasure. I've heard a great many things from my father about you, Ms. Magnus." She extends her hand and he supports it with his own before leaning over and kissing the back of her hand. He smiles politely at her and she blushes slightly in return.

"Nikola Tesla, Helen's classmate." Nikola was already beside, and slightly in front of, Helen. He extended his hand to Nigel, who took it gladly.

"Nigel," Dr. Magnus begins to say as Nigel steps away from the pair and as Nikola steps more solidly beside Helen, "Will be attending Oxford in the fall."

"Oh brilliant! We'll have to show you around then. You'll love- it's a wonderful college."

"You attend classes there?"

His tone was one of true surprise, but the potential for condemnation causes Nikola's jaw to clench. "Yes she does. And would have the highest marks too, if the bigoted administration they have they would officially accept her."

"Nikola, please, there's no need for that."

"Well it's true. They're insane for not thinking you capable."

Nigel shifts his weight. He glances briefly at Dr. Magnus before clearing his throat. "Unfortunately I must return home. But it was lovely meeting you both. I look forward to getting to know you better in the fall."

"Certainly," Helen replies gently. Nikola extends his hand once again and shakes Nigel's firmly, without leaving Helen's side. The younger man gives a nod of thanks and retreats from the room.

"Charming lad, I'm sure."

"I don't know- he seems a bit too quiet for you."

"I'll whip him into shape."

/-

"So are we done?"

Nikola is slumped over the library table, one hand propping up his head, the other laying on the table holding up his weight. He looks over at Helen, who is now glaring at him rather impatiently. His shoulders jump briefly in a shrug. Helen, shaking her head, looks back at her book.

"Yes," James says from across the table, "I think this report will do nicely." He shuffles together some of the papers in front of them and flips his book closed. One hand moves up to scratch at his slightly untamed beard, then he looks up to Helen. His face relaxes into a polite smile and he says to her, "It was pleasure meeting and working with you."

Helen smiles back in return. Her lips part, as if she might say something in reply, but Nikola chooses that moment to shift in his chair, causing it to scrap against the library's wood floor. She looks over at him; James finishes organizing his things.

"Shall we go get some dinner?"

"Dinner? It's hardly four."

"So?"

"Well I'm not hungry yet."

"Oh." He pauses and glances to the side. "A walk?"

"Nikola, what has gotten into you today? You're like a child with too much energy." Helen turns away from him swiftly and tidies up her own space. Nikola slouches back into his chair and folds his arms over his chest. He arches his back over the top of his chair so that his head is nearly touching his back and his chair is balancing on only its two hind legs.

He's counting the blue covered books on the shelf nearest him, for no reason in particular, other than for something to entertain him. He reaches thirty-two by the time he processes the sound of chairs shuffling and a new voice entering James' and Helen's conversation. He pulls his head forward and with it the chair legs slam down on the floor. No one notices, though, as James is quite busy introducing Helen to the newest member of the group- a very tall young man with long dark hair pulled back into a bow. Very British.

Nikola's eyes dart between Helen and the British man, then from James to Helen, then mostly they stay on Helen with the occasional glance at the British man. Helen's smiling at the man, and he's smiling in return. A scowl transforms the right side of his face ever so slightly.

Rather abruptly, his feet his the floor and his body swings into motion. He shakes his head to keep from getting dizzy and moves around the table in three swift steps. He positions himself directly next to Helen, slightly in front of her, and thrusts his hand towards the British man. "Hello. Nikola Tesla."

The smile disappears from the British man's face and he glances first at Helen and then at Nikola's outstretched hand. After a pause, the man looks up at Nikola and wraps his hand around his. "John Druitt." Nikola forces a smile even as he grinds his teeth; John's grip is excessively tight.

As soon as John lets go of Nikola's hand, he turns his attention to James, who has been standing by watching the entire exchange with a modest smirk. "Are you nearly ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready now." Nikola is flexing his hand behind his back just as James turns to look at him. "Nikola, Helen. I'll see you both in class on Friday."

"Of course," Helen says brightly. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Druitt."

"John, please." Nikola rolls his eyes; John looks to him next. "Tesla."

"Druitt."

Both Helen and Nikola remain where they are, neither moving nor saying anything until James and John are completely out of the library. Once she's sure they've passed through the doors, Helen spins on the spot. Nikola glances over at her, surprised by the movement. "Nikola, can you be any ruder?"

"What kind of question is that?" He plays with his ring finger and shrugs. "Of course I can be."

"I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour around me again, is that clear?"

"What behaviour?"

"That possessive, territorial thing you do."

"I do not-"

"Yes, you do." Her tone is quite final and Nikola just stands there as she collects her things and then walks around him, leaving him alone in the library.

Nikola rocks on his heels and sighs. "Guess that means no dinner plans tonight."


	4. Fall, 1879

/-/- **Fall, 1879**

He leans against the wall and watches her open her door. "Are you sure I can't come in for a while?"

"Nikola, you most certainly cannot."

"Why not? You've spent nearly your entire existence at this school in my room."

"That's different."

He drops his chin to his chest and sighs. His eyes flicker open and he looks at her again. She's standing in her doorway, waiting for him to leave.

"Well then, why don't you come next door and spend some time in there with me?"

"Nikola, I need to get some work done and then sleep."

"You can work with me, in my room. I can help you."

"Thank-you, Nikola." She takes his hand and squeezes it gently. "But really, go back to your room and get some rest."

"We never spend any time together anymore."

She drops his hand and straightens. "Of course we do."

"Alone, I meant. We always have the other three with us every time we're together." He shoves his hands into his pockets and sighs again. "I just miss you."

"No reason to, Nikola, I'm right here. Now go on. We'll have breakfast together tomorrow- just you and me."

He nods and smiles to make her feel better. She runs her hand down his arm and then steps into her room. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Helen."

/-/- **Spring, 1882**

Nikola Tesla thought of Dr. Magnus's Sanctuary as a fortified maze, or rather a fortress that happened to be a maze. Not even really a maze, but rather a very intricate connection of underground tunnels and labs, a series of staircases that lead all over the place, and a top level that he still wasn't even allowed near.

It's not a matter that Nikola often got lost, or even turned around- obviously that had never happened considering his photographic memory. What he had difficulty with was finding anyone when he wanted them. He was starting to consider that his next project needed to be a solution to this problem. But we digress...

Currently Nikola was walking through the main hallway on the ground level trying to find Helen. He was fairly certain that he had made a break through with their latest charge, but he needed her help with the actual follow through. He had looked already in all of her normal spots, and even some abnormal spots, and now he was hoping that perhaps she was speaking with her father.

Nikola stops just before the study door. Normally the door remains wide-opened, a sign that Dr. Magnus is willing to speak with people, or is closed and he'd rather not be disturbed. But, right now, the door is half-opened and he can hear voices within.

"What is it you came to talk about, young man?" he hears Dr. Magnus say.

"Well, sir." Nikola steps closer; the voice belongs to John Druitt, he's almost positive of that. "It's concerning Helen." Nikola's brow creases and he listens closer. "I wanted to ask your permission to court her."

Nikola feels his stomach cave in on itself. His heart is pounding so loudly in his ears that he almost can't hear Dr. Magnus's response. "Son, this is Helen we're talking about. Just because you get my permission, doesn't guarantee much with her."

"I understand that, sir, but it's still proper to speak with you first."

Dr. Magnus makes that noise that's a cross between clearing his throat and a hum of agreement. Nikola can hardly breathe; he just stands there. "I think you're a very clever and intelligent lad with an opened mind, very important to be able to deal effectively with my daughter. You're an honourable man, I would be happy to see you as a son some day."

"Thank-you, sir."

Nikola knocks a vase over. He desperately tries to catch it before it makes too much noise, but unfortunately in the act of noisily setting the vase back up, he knocks over a tray that had been left there on the table.

"Who's out there?"

Nikola jumps into view of the doorway and nudges the door open. "Sorry. Just me. Um... I was looking for Helen. Have you seen her?"

"She went to meet Griffin. He found something up in Soho."

"Oh... Well, um... Thank-you."

Nikola takes his leave quickly but is called back shortly by Dr. Magnus. He leans back into the doorway and finds the doctor standing and leaning against his large oak desk. "Have you been in my wine cellar again?"

"Um... Just the once, sir." His mouth hangs open as Dr. Magnus directs a stern look at him. Nikola glances over at John and then back at the old man. "But I was going to go out tonight and replace it, naturally."

"In the future, ask."

"Of course. My apologizes. I'm going to go now."


	5. Spring, 1886

**/-/- Spring, 1886**

"Nikola! You've made it finally." Helen throws her arms around Nikola and he groans at the suddenness of her squeezing him.

He looks up over her shoulder and announces to the room of Nigel, John, and James, "Sorry, travelling across the Atlantic is mildly unpredictable at times."

"As long as you're here now." Helen lets go of him and leans back to see his face. She's smiling at him and he smiles back brightly, showing teeth. Her smile falters. "I thought you said you were going to shave that awful thing."

"What?" His hand reaches up to his face where her eyes are focused and feels the thick hair that's grown out on his upper lip. "Oh... I don't see why you hate it so much." Her face cringes and she shakes her head.

"All right, all right. Helen, we're all dying to know why you've brought us all here."

Helen moves away from Nikola, giving him room to move deeper into the room to join the others. She moves over to the corner of the room and picks up a small wooden box and brings it closer to them, setting it on the table between them all. She takes a deep breath and looks at her four best friends.

"The serum's ready."

"The serum, from the source blood?" John asks, moving closer into the circle.

"Yes. James and I have been working restlessly for the past few months. Some new technology Nikola develop helped make this possible."

"We still have no idea what it will do," Nigel says, somewhat quietly.

"Isn't that part of the appeal?" Nikola steps closer to the blood and takes the vial out. He looks up at Helen. "I'm certainly willing to try." Helen smiles and looks to the rest of them. Nigel shrugs while John nods in agreement. James sighs but quickly agrees.

"All right then," Nikola says with a smile as he looks over at Helen. "Shall we?"

"Absolutely. I'll go first." Nikola nods and Helen makes her way over to a chair in the centre of the room.

Nikola picks up the syringe as James and John stand around Helen. He carefully dips the needle into the red liquid and finds the syringe. When he turns around, he looks directly at Helen, checking one last time that she's certain. "It's ready," Nikola says as he turns to Helen.

"You don't have to go first," Nigel says from somewhere behind her. "John or I could have a go to start."

"He's right," James reminds her, "There's no need for unnecessary heroics. The side effects are completely unknown."

"Thank-you gentleman, but this experiment was of my design. I shall be the one to prove its worth."

"Helen, you're certain?"

She looks at John. "We've risked too much to turn back now. We need to know." Then she looks away from him. "You may precede, Nikola."

She watches Nikola breathe deeply to steady his hands before he brings the needle to her arm. She watches the needle sink into her skin and feels the strange warmth of the blood surging into her veins. For just a moment, nothing happens and it feels disappointingly anticlimactic.

Then it hurts everywhere. It's so sudden that it hurts even more and she grabs the first thing she can feel, which is Nikola's hand. She clutches to him as her muscles tense and her back arches and she can't hold back a scream. She feels Nikola holding her arm and Nigel restraining her shoulders and John's hand cupping her cheek, but she feels blinded; her eyes hurt. Her body spasms again and again; she's gasping for breath and can't scream anymore and instead moans pitifully as she holds even tighter to Nikola.

Then it passes. She calms and settles back into the sofa. She relaxes her grip on Nikola's hand, but doesn't release him.

"Helen, are you all right?"

"Yes... yes, I think it's over."

/-

Nikola is reclining back on the sofa in her study, his feet propped up on the arm and a book rests opened over his chest.

"Are you still working?"

"Yes."

"When will you be done?"

"When I'm done."

"Helen, I've been in the States for two years and now I'm here for a few weeks," he throws his legs off the armrest and onto the floor, causing him to sit up. "And you're doing work instead of entertaining me."

Helen sighs and sets her quill down. "You're right, Nikola. I'm sorry. What would you like to do?"

"I'd like for you to come over here and talk with me. Tell me how your life has been. I regret to say that I've been terribly forgetful when it comes to writing you. I promise to get better at it."

"You best." Helen joins him on the sofa and sets her candle on the table in front of them.

"Actually, first things first- how are you feeling?"

"Fine. Completely fine. Actually, I'm slightly disappointed with the results."

"You don't feel any different?"

"Well, I do feel like I have more energy. I haven't needed to sleep, even though everyone keeps making me. And I feel... this may sound silly, but I feel stronger and healthier."

"Considering what you did, it's not silly. Actually, feeling strong, healthy, and energized may be reward enough from this. Nothing wrong with living a long healthy life."

"Very true. I suppose I shouldn't be so disappointed."

"No."

There's a silence for a moment. Helen takes his hand and starts to trace the lines on his hands. It tickles a little, but he doesn't mind it at all. She looks back up at him; one hand cups his cheek so her thumb can touch his upper lip. "Thank-you for shaving. You look much better."

"You think?"

"Absolutely." She smiles at him again and drops her hand back to play with his. "Are you afraid?"

"To use the blood? Terrified... what if I turn into a big, hairy monster?" She laughs and he smiles at the sound. Then he wraps an arm around her shoulders and hugs her to him. "We'll be fine, Helen. All of us. This is most certainly worth it, no matter what happens."


	6. Spring, 1886 2nd

/-/- **Spring, 1886**

In the centre of the parlour, John and James sit across from each other, a rather complicated game of chess being acted out between them. Nigel sits off in the corner, as he often does, reading a book.

"Have any of you seen Nikola? He was supposed to meet me in my lab."

Nigel shrugs in the corner. John shakes his head and says, "No, I haven't seen him since late night."

"He didn't come down for lunch," James tells her as he takes one of John's pawns.

"You all are feeling well, aren't you?" All eyes turn to Helen and then look between each other.

"I feel fine. A little tired, maybe," Nigel says. James agrees.

John says, "I feel well, except my poor ego. This is the fourth game in a row that I am about to lose to James."

"What can I say? I am in rare form today." Then James turns to look at Helen and asks, "You don't think that the blood might have made Nikola sick?"

Helen shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe. I'm going to go look for him."

"Would you like some help?"

"No, that's all right."

/-

She heads to his room first, assuming that if he's feeling sick he likely remained in there. She knocks soundly on the door.

"Go away."

"Nikola, it's Helen. Please let me in."

"No, I... I just want to be left alone."

"Are you sick?"

"No... Just go away, Helen."

She controls herself before she huffs in response. She raises her voice, "Nikola, open this door immediately or I will knock it down. And don't think that I can't."

The door opens suddenly at the very end of her speech, causes her to jump back a little. Nikola stands in the door, leaning heavily against the door. He's barefoot, with trousers sloppily put on. His shirt is untucked and wrinkled. She can see the sweat on his brow and his whole body shakes with the effort of standing. "Please, Helen, I'd like to be left alone."

"My god, you are sick." She steps forward and checks his temperature. He leans into the coolness of her touch. "You're burning up." She walks right around him and into his room, heading towards the water basin.

Nikola doesn't move from the door and in fact leans more heavily against it. "Helen-"

"Don't even bother, Nikola, I'm staying here. Now get in bed and let me help you." He pushes the door closed and moves to his bed. His knees collapse and he falls onto his bed. "And take your shirt off. Trousers too."

"Helen-"

"Shush." She rings the cloth out, now cold and damp. "We need to get your temperature down. Take them off." He slowly does as she asks while she sits perched on the side of his bed. Once he lies down, she takes the cloth and strokes it over his forehead and cheeks. She runs the cloth over his chest, slowly moving over the contours of his chest. "You should have told me this morning when you weren't feeling well. You probably haven't eaten all day."

"No. I haven't."

She stands and wets the cloth again. "I'll go get you some food in a moment."

"No. Don't," he says as she sits back down and wets his forehead again. "I doubt I could eat anything."

"You really need to."

"Honestly, Helen, I will just vomit in front of you. This is fine."

"Very well. You should sleep then."

"Can't. Been trying all day."

She lays the cloth on his stomach and pulls the blanket to cover his legs. Then she sits with her back against the head rest and adjusts her shirt to keep it from getting in his face. "Just close your eyes," she says as she begins stroking his hair. The back of her hand strokes his cheek before her fingers go back to playing with his dark locks. He does as she asked and his breathing slowly calms until he falls asleep.

/-

For a moment, Nikola is too disoriented to understand his surroundings. He can tell that he's bare-chested and only wearing his thin cotton drawers, mostly because the draft in the room is causing him to shiver. He knows that the sun is streaming in through the window and hitting his eyes, which is why he rolls over and tries to bury his face into his pillow. Doing that lets him realize another thing about his surroundings- he's not alone in his bed.

This fact rouses him a little faster. He raises his head and opens his eyes to find Helen. Her hair is a wild mess of blonde atop his other pillow and her long legs are curled up. The blankets fell away from both of them during the night, which means she's exposed completely to him. He's never seen a woman, and certainly not Helen, in just one layer of undergarments.

He knows he shouldn't, but he moves to touch her shoulder. He runs his hand down her arm; she's so warm under his touch. His movement rouses her; slowly she rolls onto her back to face him and her eyes open groggily.

"Hey."

"Hey," she says back.

"What are you doing?"

"I didn't want to leave, you were still very feverish."

He smirks. "So you joined me in bed?"

"You were having nightmares." Her voice is soft and her eyes are half closed, like she wants to return to sleep. He smiles at her.

She touches a hand to her forehead and then brings it to his. That's when he notices it- her scent completely surrounding him. She smells of tea and mint and a hint of iron. He breathes in deeply and leans into her touch. "You're still a bit feverish. You should stay in bed today and keep resting."

"You won't get any complaints from me."

"Good. I'll bring you up some breakfast. You certainly need it."

"I'm not sure that I can eat very much."

"Tea and scones?"

"You're beautiful," he jokes. She smiles and laughs lightly at him.

With that, she sits up and he curls up with the blanket. Helen looks over her shoulder at him and scolds, "Keep your eyes shut. I need to get dressed." He puts a hand over his eyes as instructed and she quickly makes herself decent. "I'll be right back," she says before closing the door behind her. Nikola just buries his face further into her pillow.

He can still smell her. She's everywhere in his room; it overpowers his senses for a moment. He likes how it felt to wake up with her beside him and he likes the thought of her always being with him, bonded to him forever.

But that won't happen, of course, because she has John now. And John loves her and Dr. Magnus loves the idea of John. The barrister with a brilliant mind and honour and manners and a good, upstanding British family. John was perfect for Helen. Nikola never stood a chance and he's always known it.

/-

It doesn't take her very long to steal a few scones and make up tea for the two of them. With the tray in hand, Helen works her way back to the east wing and up the flight of stairs to Nikola's room. She's a couple of doors away from his when she hears the crash. The noise startles her and she jerks the tray up at one side. Her pace quickens and she reaches the door only a moment later. She hears something hit the wall as she twists the doorknob opened.

In the short time that she was gone, Nikola had managed to completely destroy the room. The bedding had been thrown to the other side of the room; one pillow had made it in front of the door. One table had been flipped over and the water pitcher had shattered on the floor, leaving a puddle of water around the white pieces. A dozen or so pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them seemed to have been tossed into the air and allowed to fall wherever they pleased. One book lay opened in the far corner. Nikola is standing with his back to her, hunched over the small table against the far wall. He's clutching the sides so hard his hands have gone white.

She steps inside and closes the door behind her. She sets the tray on the bed and moves around it to be closer to him. "Nikola? Are you all right?"

"No." His voice is low and gravelly, not quite human.

"Nikola, look at me." He doesn't move. She can hear every breath he takes; each one sounds pained. "What happened?"

"I think," he says slowly in that same unnatural voice, "something has gone wrong... or maybe right."

She moves closer to him, each step careful and cautious of startling him. When she's about a foot away, she reaches out to touch his shoulder. His reaction is sudden and unexpected: he spins around much too fast and is far too close to her. Instinctually she steps back. When she finally looks at him, her mouth falls open and her eyes widen some. His eyes are almost all black. His face has become distorted, though she can't put her finger on how exactly, but she can tell that his skin has become discoloured and rubbery. His mouth is slightly opened and she can see that his teeth have become sharp and jagged.

Her mouth closes. She looks him in the eye and takes a step closer, but he steps away. "Please, Helen, I don't want to hurt you. Leave."

"No," she steps forward again and this time he has nowhere to retreat to. She tells him, "You won't hurt me."

"You don't know that."

She doesn't listen to him. Instead she reaches out to touch his cheek; it feels smoother and rubbery and much too cold. It's so bizarre, so unnatural, that she wants to remove her hand, but she doesn't. All the while, she's holding his gaze, which is hard to do when his eyes are so dark she can't make out the emotion in them anymore. And then she slides her hand into his hair. This feels familiar, it feels natural. He leans into her touch, just like he always has, and she smiles. "Helen," he says her name like a sigh, just like he always does, only this time the pitch is wrong and it reverberates in his chest a little more than usual.

"I know you, Nikola, and you won't hurt me." She rubs his cheek again and keeps her fingers in his hair. Slowly she watches redness sink back into his skin and she feels it become less rubbery and warmer. His eyes whiten and soon grey irises reappear. His breathing calms and he seems to relax under her gaze. She smoothes his hair out a little bit and smiles. "See, you're better now."

"I'm not so sure about 'better'. I might look normal and human right now but... that blood changed me into something."

"Into what?"

He looks at her and shakes his head. "I don't know."


	7. Fall, 1886

/-/- **Fall, 1886 **

The harbour is much colder than Nikola expected. In the centre of the city, back at Dr. Magnus's Sanctuary, it was a brisk fall morning. The breeze was tamed and the scent of winter approaching hung in the air, but it was still a comfortable temperature. Out on the dock however, Nikola was shivering under his wool jacket. Which was strange, he thought, considering that he's a vampire now.

He lifts his luggage by its worn handle and steps away from the departing taxi. From his pocket, he removes a first class ticket- Helen had bought it for him, to make boarding a less tedious chore. He's not really sure where to go and thus just stands in centre of the dock, being occasionally tousled around by boarding passengers and dock workers. He doesn't look around for a member of the crew or someone knowledgeable enough to point him in the correct way; he doesn't look at the ship for clues as to where he should go. He doesn't even wander aimlessly closer. He's just frozen in place.

The world has become sharper to his senses. The colours seem brighter, the lines more vivid and bolder. He feels like he can hear everything, the soft patter of rats scurrying around the crates, the grating of metal and wood, the sharp tones of the woman almost twenty metres away and the reply of the confused worker. He can taste the approaching rain and the hint of salt being carried in the breeze. But most of all, he can smell everything, every rancid odour of the third class passengers and sweaty dock workers, the gentle perfume of a first class woman off to his left, the scent of mud and rain and salt and iron- most of all, iron. He's experienced this before, a number of times actually and always when in large crowds, but every time before he had had Helen with him, to keep him moving forward.

This time he's alone and trapped in his senses. It's not so much the acuity in his hearing or sight or even taste that bothers him, it's how strong the scent of iron is. Because it's not just iron, not just the scent of too much metal surrounding him. The iron smells sweet to him, it's overpowering and enticing. He flares his nostrils and breathes in deeply just to get a better appreciation of it.

When an Irish worker jostles him from behind, he can smell it perfectly. Iron- the sweet, hot scent of iron flowing through his veins. Nikola can hear his heart pounding, pumping the blood through his body. When he turns to see the man, all he can see is his neck and the artery pulsing, just perceptible to his vampire eyes. Nikola takes a step to turn around and then another forward to follow the Irishman, before he stops quite dead in his tracks. He feels it then, the sharpness of his teeth and the dilation of his eyes. He shuts his eyes quickly and inhales deeply through his nose, though he regrets that almost immediately- he can still smell the Irishman's wake, the tang of blood. Nikola starts walking, gaining speed and closing the distance between himself and the Irishman.

Then, quite suddenly, Nikola veers right and leaves the dock. His pace is quick but he has no destination in mind. He knows, in the more rational part of his brain, that he should return to Helen and tell her what happened. He knows that she would be willing to have him stay, to keep working on his self-control. Honestly, he doesn't know why he doesn't go back.

He finds himself at a small Inn, somewhere in Soho, hours later. It's late and he's famished. The pub is dark, not enough candles throughout the place, but it doesn't bother Nikola with his advanced sight. He hides himself in the corner and orders anything that's meat and a pint of dark beer.

The food has no taste to him; he hates that alcohol doesn't have an impact on him any longer. Within an hour, he's eaten three dinners, all meat, and still he feels famished. If he were normal, he would have drunken himself into a stupor. All he can think about is the stench of iron that fills the entire pub, the entire Inn. So many humans with litres of rich, sweet smelling blood pumping through them, keeping them alive.

He hears the barmaid approaching just before he smells her. His breathing becomes shallow and pained. She reaches around him to take his plate and empty mug away. His action is reflexive- he snatches her arm and holds her close to him. Her body is flush against his side, radiating heat, pulsing blood, exuding a strong scent of booze and lilacs and sweat and most certainly iron. So much iron, so sweet.

"You interested in a little more than food tonight, sir?"

He knows his teeth are a bit too sharp and his eyes dilated to the point that little grey can be seen, but that doesn't stop him from looking up at her. She's smiling a little at him, forced in the way whores tend to smile at potential clients, but it makes him smirk in response. "Yes. Yes, I think I am."

"Well why don't you follow me?"

She holds his hand and leads him to a room in the back. He's having a hard time controlling himself; he wants her to walk faster. She pulls the door opened and he breezes past her. He feels his face growing tauter and his eyes dilating even more in the dark room. The door slams shut behind the barmaid and he feels a growl escape his throat and he doesn't try to stop himself from throwing her against the door, from pushing his body against hers, from grabbing her wrists and pinning them to the wood, from letting his teeth grow sharp just before plunging them into the tender skin of her neck.

It's his first taste ever. It almost burns it's so good, so sharp and tangy. Sweet with a bitter aftertaste. It makes the shaking and the coldness fade away. He feels warm and heavy. He feels stronger and more invincible than ever. He wants more.

When he started, she was struggling against him and her chest was heaving and he vaguely remembers her saying something to him. But she was quiet now and limp against him. He pulls his face out of her neck and stares down at her. She's pale and her eyes are closed.

"Oh god..."

He lowers her onto the floor and strokes a strand of hair behind her ear. He stares at her chest, hoping to see it move. It does, just barely. With effort, her lungs are still pulling in air.

"Rachel!" The bartender's knuckles pound on the wooden door he was just pinning her against. "Rachel, come out here and tend these tables!"

The taste of blood is so fresh on his lips, he feels so strong, he can't change back into his human form. He stands and looks down at the half-dead body of the barmaid then back at the door being pounded on. He searches the room, desperate for a way out. He runs over to the window and breaks it open, runs through the back alleys and jumps rooftops until he's breathless and human and standing outside of Magnus's home. He pounds on the door and yells for Helen.

"Helen! Please, let me in. Helen!"

The door opens and Helen stands there in her dressing gown, a candle in her hand and her hair cascading down her back. "Nikola, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you on your ship to America?"

He doesn't listen to her, just steps inside. He paces forward, then pivots and looks at her. "I... I almost killed a woman."

"What?"

"I could smell everyone. I needed," he gasps in air and moves closer to her, "I wanted..." He's standing directly in front of her, his face lit by the candle in her hand. "I drank her blood. I almost couldn't stop myself. She was still alive, but I didn't know what to do. I just... I just ran. I ran here. Helen, I... I couldn't control myself."

She strokes his cheek and he leans into the warmth. He closes his eyes, and breathes in her scent- always of tea and mint and just a little iron, but it doesn't affect him quite as much anymore.

"You'll be all right, Nikola. I promise. I'll help you. Maybe there's a treatment, or something. I can work on it." She strokes his hair and he chokes back tears. "It'll be all right."


	8. Winter, 1887

/-/- **Winter, 1887**

The knock startles Nikola slightly. He cocks an eyebrow and his eyes jerk to the right as he tries to imagine who might be standing at his doorway so early on a Saturday morning. He twists the doorknob without knowing who might be standing there and, to his delight, is quite surprised to see the familiar face of Helen Magnus standing there.

He smiles brightly at her. "Helen! What... what are you doing here?"

She smiles and throws her arms around his neck. This just makes him smile brighter and hug her in return. When she pulls away, she tells him, "I was in Boston for a conference. I even gave a short lecture. I was scheduled to leave this morning, but I thought, what kind of friend would I be if I left American without visiting Nikola? So here I am."

"I'm touched, honestly, that you would endure that train ride just for me. How long will you be here for?"

"Just the day, I'm afraid."

"No, that's wonderful! Come in, come in."

She steps inside the door and Nikola reaches down to grab her bag. Just as he closes the door, they hear the kettle start to squeal. He turns to her and asks, "Tea?"

A smirk plays in her eyes and she tilts her head towards him. "You have to ask?" He smiles and nods before retreating to the kitchen.

She lowers herself into the couch near the fire and listens as Nikola calls to her from the kitchen, "So you gave a presentation? On what, may I ask?"

"Genetics. Of course, the entire world is completely behind us in that field." She turns and sees him moving to the couch she's sitting in. "Besides, it's difficult to present a proper argument without being able to present your proof." He hands her a steams cup of tea. "Thank-you."

"Yes, I can imagine that must be frustrating."

"Very. How have you been?"

"Oh you know me. Ideas are popping into my head on an hourly basis. I can hardly keep up with myself."

"Good."

"So, how are things for you?"

"Well," she smiles brightly and shows him her hand. His brows knit together and he looks down. There on her ring finger is a lovely gold band, a modest diamond in the centre of it. He can feel his entire face slacken and his smile fade to nothing. "John and I are engaged."

He tries to smile before he looks back up at her. "When did this happen?"

"About three weeks ago. I would have sent a letter, but I knew I'd be here in America and I wanted to tell you in person."

She's searching his face, waiting for a reaction. He wants to give her one, so he tries to smile but he knows that she'll know it's forced. So he looks back down at her ring, but all that makes him think about is John slipping the ring over her finger, Helen smiling at him in the way that always makes his stomach twist and blood throb in his ears. He digs his fingers into his thigh and his jaw tenses. He can't speak and for a brief second he's not sure what's happening to him. Then he realizes that he's shattered the fragile control he's barely mastered; he looks away. His nose flares and he smell her- mint and iron and something new but equally as sweet.

"Nikola?"

He stands up suddenly and keeps his back to her. He feels his face changing, becoming slicker and stronger. His nails are growing and he keeps his hands in front of him so she won't see. He breathes deeply but unevenly as he tries to calm himself. It takes a moment or two before finally he feels himself becoming human again. He pulls down his vest, then flattens out the wrinkles, before turning back to look at her. "I'm sorry about that, Helen." Calmly, he returns to his seat and takes a sip of his tea. "Strong emotions are very triggering. I'm still working on controlling them."

She places her hand over his gently. "It's ok."

"So, you and John? That's great. You're happy about this, right?"

"Absolutely. Couldn't be happier." He bites his tongue and tries to smile. "And I want you to be there; I want you to be my best man."

This makes him laugh. "Only the groom has a best man. You're supposed to have a lady friend to fix your dress and decorate things."

"In case you haven't notice, Nikola, I don't have many lady friends. Besides, you're my best mate."

He looks down and then catches her eye again. She's smiling so brightly. "I don't have to wear a dress right? Because I will do a lot of things for you, Helen, but I will not do that."

She punches his shoulder playfully. "You could wear a kilt."

"Yeah, not Scottish."


	9. Winter, 1888

/-/- **Winter, 1888**

"I, um, I've managed to make an electromagnetic shield surrounding the entire facility. That should keep him out."

Helen doesn't respond to his voice. She just continues to stand with her back to him, staring out the window, her arms wrapped around herself.

Nikola sighs softly and moves closer to her. "You'll be safe here."

"Thank-you, Nikola." Her voice is clipped- a professional dismissal. His jaw clenches briefly and he shakes his head. His shoulders slouch imperceptibly and he spends a few minutes shifting before leaning back and moving towards the door.

"Nikola." She breathes his name so softly, so gently that he almost didn't hear her. When he turns, she's looking at him; her arms are still clutching her sides. Her eyes are clouded, her face guarded. "I'm pregnant."

One word rings in his ears. Pregnant. Helen's pregnant. John's child. John touching her, kissing her. John and his blood soaked hands marring her perfect body, her gloriously pale skin. His body on hers. The murderer making her moan and clutch at his arms, dig her nails into his back.

He feels his nails extend, his face grow cold and taut. He tries to retract his nails and manages it but at the same time his teeth grow sharp and his eyes dilate. He tries to control those changes as well but images of John violating Helen keep fuelling his transformation, keep his nails extending and retracting, keep his eyes completely black, and his teeth fluctuating from normal to jagged.

He can see her watching him, staying clear of him. He can see her holding her arms over her stomach, protectively maybe. There's a child growing inside of her. Soon she'll be showing signs of it. He imagines that she'll look radiant. He sees her with a daughter, a little girl with long curly blonde locks, blue eyes, and her mother's bright, spectacular smile.

His nails retract; his face feels warm again, even flushed a little. He's almost back in control of himself, except for his eyes, he can't quite make them look normal.

Nikola steps closer to her and places his hands on her arms. He tries to catch her gaze and hopes his eyes won't scare her. "If you want, I can be here to help with the child."

She shakes her head. Her arms uncross and she rests a hand on his cheek. "I can't keep this child, Nikola. I can't-"

"Shh, you don't have to justify yourself. So you're going to give it to the orphanage?" She shakes her head and her eyes fall away from his. "But the alternative- isn't it dangerous?"

"I know a way to preserve the embryo until- until maybe I'm ready."

He rests his forehead against hers and runs his hands down her arms to her elbows. "Whatever you need, Helen, I'm here for you."

"I know, Nikola."


	10. Late Spring, 1902

/-/- **Late Spring, 1902**

He would have missed the sight, had a sigh not caught his ear and his head turn to the left towards in response. Nikola stops and stands pointlessly in the hallway, his hands at his side and his attention aimed through the opened door to Helen's room.

She's standing on the far side of her room, just off to the right of the large window overlooking London. She'd been doing that a lot lately, Nikola's noticed, just staring out of windows, day dreaming in the lab. Thus far, he had left her alone.

He looks down the hall in front of him and briefly glances behind him, making sure that the area is emptied, before he steps inside of her room. He's never been in her room, any of her rooms, before. She doesn't seem to notice him; at least she doesn't scold him and ask him to leave. So he shuts the door, giving them privacy.

She still hasn't responded to his presence and he wonders if she's even noticed that he's there. He closes the distance between them, moving carefully to keep from startling her. He speaks quietly when he asks, "Do you want to talk?"

She doesn't say anything in reply; she doesn't even move in response to his presence. Nikola shifts his weight backwards and stuffs his hands into his pockets. He leans enough to the left to see part of her face. "Something's been on your mind for the past few days. You've been strangely quiet." He waits a beat, hoping she'll answer. When she doesn't, he adds, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I've been thinking about the source blood."

His eyes dart down before returning to her. He tries to keep his tone light, "Are you interested in a jaunt to India? Not so sure James would approve."

"No, I'm not interested in getting it back. I'm- I've been thinking about when we used it."

Nikola steps closer, his head tilted to the side. "What of it?"

"I've been doing some research, comparing your cells to mine. I didn't want to believe it at first-" She turns to look at him finally. "Actually I'm still having trouble believing it, but... it appears that my gift is that of longevity."

Nikola's brows knit together, but slowly his eyes roam over her. Her eyes are just as young and vibrant as the first day they meet, blue and shining. Her skin is still smooth and pale, completely unaffected by time. No wrinkles, no lines, no hints of her true age. Nikola's eyes drift off to the side, mentally calculating her age. She should be a year shy of fifty; she didn't look a day over thirty, about her age when they injected the source blood. Had it really been twenty years already? Nikola hadn't noticed.

"You're immortal?"

"Apparently." She shrugs and takes a step closer to him. "Well, I know that we don't share the same advanced healing, but old age, it seems, will not be a concern of mine."

For a moment, there's nothing left to say. Nikola just looks her over. She's quiet, standing with her arms crossed and her eyes back on the city outside her window. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

She doesn't turn to look at him immediately, but once she does she says, "About what?"

"You've just found out that you're never going to age, that you'll potentially live for hundreds, if not thousands of years." His voice grows softer, "You're realizing that all your family, all your friends, the man at the butchers, the people who walk passed you on the streets, the trolley driver- all of them, will die while you live on." His voice trails off and his gaze falls over the city. Helen doesn't say anything; she just watches, waiting for him to come back to the present. When he does, it's rather abrupt. He blinks and turns his head sharply to look at her. "Doesn't it terrify you?"

"Some days. I haven't been living with it for very long, honestly."

"Right." He looks back through the window. When he starts talking, his voice is low, almost whispery. "It was exciting at first, I have to admit, to think that I would live for life times. I can't even comprehend how much I'll be able to accomplish. The legacies I'll leave behind. But when my oldest sister died a few years ago, it started to sink in. My other two sisters will eventually fade away. As will Nigel and even James, despite his best efforts." He looks at her again. "And you, I thought."

There's a beauty about Nikola that Helen notices as she looks at him now. It might have something to do with the way his face softens as he looks at her, the way the lines around his eyes wrinkle upwards or how his lips relax into a half smile. But it's definitely his eyes, the way they look at her like nothing else matters, devotion at its purest.

Almost of its own accord, her hand reaches out to take his. He looks down to watch as their fingers intertwine and she smiles at him. "Maybe it is frightening me and maybe all that will sink in soon but... It's not so scary knowing that I'll always have my best friend with me."

/-

THE END.

Possible sequel if and when I have time to finish writing it. If I do, it will be titled "Volume 2: ... ". I hope you enjoyed this one though! Please let me know what you thought. Cheers, ~JD


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